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Assyrian Palace Sculptures

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Once located in what is today northern Iraq, the major cities of the Assyrian Kingdom have left behind massive artistic treasures in glazed brick, painted walls, and low relief sculptures carved in gypsum and limestone wall panels. Discovered in the 19th century, these superb sculptures are as powerfully attractive as the finest art of any era. The panorama of life in Assyria is spread before us in vivid low relief:

Fir trees line the banks of the Tigris River.

Sheep, deer, wild pigs roam through marshland reeds.

Hunters carry their kill out of the forest.

A foreign visitor brings a monkey on a leash as tribute to the ruler.

Rebels hang impaled on stakes.

Captives in rope gangs drag a newly completed stone sculpture from the quarry.

The king's chariot pulled by splendid horses contrasts with a simple wagon carrying refugee women to an unknown future.

Gigantic courtiers and tribute-bearers as tall as the wall approach the king in a formal procession.

Sculpted in three-quarters round, colossal lamassu -human-headed lions or winged bulls--guarded the gates and entrances of the palaces. In person, the scale and forceful presence of the major figures command all our attention. Thanks to the crisp detail in these large format photos by Lisa Baylis and Sandra Marshall, this art can be intimately comprehended in this book. The text by the curator of the Mesopotamian collections of the British Museum supports the photographs.

I checked this book out from my university library nearly a year ago, and now, after the maximum number of extensions, am sadly having to return it. The book has provided a new thrill each time I've open it. The stories depicted on stone are described from the perspective of the Assyrian viewers who beheld them in the imperial palaces 2,600 years ago. The photography is stupendous! I would call this the ultimate coffee table book for someone who loves ancient art.